palmer



2 Sheets-Sheet ,1.

(No Model.)

A, N. PALMER.

DRIER.

No. 249,978. Patented Nov, 22,1881.

(No Model.)

A. N. PALMER.

DRIER.

No. 249,978. Patented Nov. 22,1881.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Nrrn

PATENT FFECEO DRIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 249,978, dated November22, 1881.

' Application filed April 21, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ANsoN NEWTON PAL- MER, ofSyracuse, Onondaga county, New York, have invented a new and ImprovedDrier, of which the following is a specification, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a longitudinalsection of the drier complete; Fig. 2, the upper or feed end of thecylinder in elevation; Fig. 3, the lower or discharge end of thecylinder in elevation Fig. 4: a transverse section of the cylinder,taken on the line m w of Fig. 1; Fig. 5, a detail side elevation of thedischarge end of the cylinder, showing a portion of the shell or jacketbroken away to expose the water-discharge device 5 and Fig. 6 is asectional view, being an enlarged detail, showing the manner in whichthejoints of the inlet and of the outlet fixed and revolving branches ofthe steampipes are made in the fixed cylinder-heads.

The drawings show the drier attached to and provided with the necessaryapparatus and appliances for cutting and drying tobacco; but it can beused for other and general purposes of dryin gand mixing varioussubstances quick- I ly and uniformlywith a minimum of labor, and

at the same time purify and improve the substance being dried, both asto quality and flavor.

The points of my improvements embrace matters of construction and ofcombination, which will be specifically made the subject of the claims,in connection with a revolving drier receiving the substance to be driedat one end and discharging it automatically at the other end.

The apparatus is constructed as follows, when applied to the use ofdrying tobaccos A is an ordinary tobacco-cutter.

-B is a suction fan or drum, connected with or attached to the cutter Ain any ordinary manner.

G is an air spout or pipe extending from the fan B upward and into thereceiverD. This receiver is a box so constructed as to receive thetobacco and allow the air to escape while the tobacco drops into thespout E, which is a feed-spout leading from the bottom of thereceiverdown and into the head F, and projecting through it a short distanceinto the cylinder H, which is usually made of boiler-iron,

and is about twenty feet long by three feet in diameter, more or less.Itis constructed with two shells, one within the other, and from one anda half to two inches apart all around, of which I) is the outer shell,and c the inner one. These shells are made steam-tight, and areconnected by a steam-tight joint.

Around both ends of the cylinder, at or near the ends, are the flat rimsor bands 0. (Shown in Fig. 5.) The head F is made with a flange, d,which fits over the rim 0 at that end of the cylinder closely, so as tomake a tight joint, in which packing can be used, if desired. The head Gis made with a similar flange, d, fitting the rim 0 at that end of thecylinder. The drawings show the shape of this flange d, which fitsclosely, yet loose enough to allow the cylinder to turn whilethe headsand flanges are stationary. Both of these heads are supportedindependently of the cylinder by stay-rods, or in any ordinary manner.

In the lower part of the head G is the discharge-openingf through theface of the head, the flange being whole, as in Fig. 3.

inwardly-projecting shelves 0 upon the inside of the cylinder can beused, if desired.

A steam-supply pipe, h it, passes through the head F, extends into thecylinder H a short distance, and, turning down to and through the shell0 of the cylinder, opens into the steamchamber between the shells. Bythis pipe the cylinder is heated. The steam-outlet pipe 2" 2' extendsfrom the steam-chamber out through the head G, as shown in the drawings.This pipe also carries off all the water created in the steam-chamber bycondensation of the steam; and for collecting this water andfacilitating its flow into this pipe 7: 2', a rim or plate, y, Fig. 5,is placed between the shells, to fill the space between the shells, andpartially circular in shape, which, by the revolution of the cylinder,collects the water within it and carries it up with it until the waterruns into the pipe 72 t, which conducts it away. Both of these pipes h71. and t" t are steam-tight in all their connections; and where theypass through the heads are provided with universal joints or couplingsplaced in the heads, so that those parts of the pipes inside of theheads revolve with the cylinder, while the rest of the pipes remainstationary; and by this construction ICO that part of each pipe outsideof its head assists in holding each head in place and steadying it.

K is an air-pipe leading from within the cylinder out through the lowerpart of the head, F, and extending to a suction-fan, L, to which it isconnected in any ordinary manner, and M is a discharge-pipe from thisfan.

The cylinder H is mounted upon the frictionrollers Z l in any ordinarymanner, and lies upon them in a somewhat inclined position, the feed endcovered by the head F being the highest. Bands 8 are placed around thecylinder upon which the rollers run.

The roller Z is made flat or plane upon its outer or bearing surface,and the roller 1 is made with a flange upon its right-hand edge.

Friction-rollers m, Figs. 2 and 3, with a flange upon the right-handedge, are used at each end of the cylinder, so mounted and located as tobear against the bands 8 at each end of the eylin der, on opposite sidesat or near the center of it perpendicularly, for the purpose ofsteadying it while being revolved. These flanges on the rollers m fitover the edge of the band 8 of the cylinder and prevent the sliding orendwise movement of the cylinder.

Flanges may also be made on both sides of all of these friction-rollers,if desired.

R is a suspended shaker-sieve, so located as to receive the dischargefrom the cylinder, and can be used when it is desired to screen thematerial being dried. It can be connected with the mechanism whichrevolves the cylinder in such a manner that it will have a' constantvibratory or shaking motion.

The box Sis used to catch the material which passes through the sieve.

The cylinder can be mounted upon a foundation of masonry or timber, orsuspended from above on timber bents, as shown in the drawlngs.

For drying tobaccos it is operated as follows: Everything having beenset up, as described and shown in the drawings, and started up, (thesteam having beenletinto the steam-chamber a to heat the cylinder,) thecutter to cut tobacco, the fans and cylinder to revolve, and the sieveto shake, the fan B sucks the cut tobacco away from the cutter and blowsit upward through the pipe 0 into the receiver D, where the air isallowed to escape through the sieve sides or windows, while the tobaccofalls into the mouth of the feed-pipe E, down which it passes of its owngravity, through the head F, into the cylinder H, and the cylinder beingheated and revolving the tobacco is dried therein. The shelves 6, asthey revolve with the cylinder, (if used,) catch up the tobacco, carryit upward until it pours ofi down upon the bottom of the cylinder, andmeanwhile, by the inclination of the cylinder, the tobacco is graduallyworked along from the upper end of the cylinder to the lower end, whereit is discharged through the openingfin the head G, and, if necessary tobe screened, falls into the sieve R, where it is sifted, these particlessmall enough passing through the sieve into the box or receptacle S,while the balance pass out over the tail of the sieve, which is open atone end and slightly inclined lengthwise for that purpose. While thetobacco is passing through the cylinder H it is exposed to acounter-current of air, created by the fan L sucking air in through thedischarge-opening f, upward and through the cylinder, out of it throughthe pipe K, into the fan L, whence it is blown away through the pipe M.The force or speed of this current of air can be varied and controlledby dampers in the pipe K, or by varying the speed of the fan L, or byany other ordinary devices.

It will be readily seen that for other purposes the cutter will bedispensed with, while the fan B and pipe 0 can be retained for elevatingthe material to be dried; and, also, that in place of the pipe 0 anordinary bucket-ele vator can be used; and, further, that a hopper canbe attached to or put upon the upper part of the feed-pipe when desired.

Referring to the means for supporting and operating the drying-cylinder,it is importantthat the rollers l I serve as driving-rollers, and forthis purpose they are connected by a shaft, 1 operated by a bevel-gear,v 10, just beneath the cylinder, whereby it is driven by friction due toits weight, and thus avoids allstrain and undue wearofthe cylinder uponthefixedheads, and at thejoint-connections of the steam-inlet anddischarge-pipe h h t '1', carried by said heads.

It is also important that the flanges (l of the fixed heads should forma close lap joining with the cylinder-rims o by inward-projectin g lipsfitting over said rims.

Referring to Fig. 6, the joint-connections of the steam inlet anddischarge pipes are shown as formed by packing a, interposed between thefixed pipes h t and the revolving pipes h and i, the said fixed pipestelescoping with the revolving pipes at the cylinder-heads, and being ofa sufficiently less diameter than the interior of the revolving pipes toallow said packing x to be placed between them. The packingis compressedto make the joint steamtight by being pressed by a collar, 2, on thefixed pipe against an interior collar, 2, of the revolving pipe, thesaid collar 2" being forced inward by screws 00 in a collar, z on theend of the pipe h outside of the cylinder-head.

What I claim as my invent-ion, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1., The revolving drying-cylinder enveloped by a circumferentialsteam-space, a, formed by the cylinder 0 proper and jacket or shell I),in combination with fixed heads, the steam-inlet pipe h h, and the steamand water discharge pipe t" t', the said pipes having each an interiorsection revolving with the cylinder and connected with a fixed sectionby a joint, substair tially as described, for the purpose specified.

2. The combination of a revolving cylinder with the fixed heads F and G,the steam inlet and discharge pipes communicating with said steam-space,and a water-discharging device within the said steam-space, whereby togather, lift, and discharge the water through the steamoutlet pipe asthe cylinder revolves.

3. The combination of the fixed heads F and G, having the overlappingand inwardly-projecting flanges d, with the cylinderH, having thecircumferential end rims, 0 0, with which the flanges lap, substantiallyas described, for the purpose specified.

4. The combination of a cylinder, adapted to be revolved within fixedheads, with the automatic feed device, consisting of the cutter and theforcing-fan A B, the pipe 0, a closed hopper, into which said pipe 0discharges, having provision for the escape of the air from saidforcing-fan, and the pipe E, connecting said closed hopper with thefixed head G of said revolving cylinder, substantially as described.

5. The combination, in a drier, of a cylinder enveloped by acircumferential steam-space, a, and adapted to be revolved within fixedheads, having steam inlet and discharge pipes communicating with saidsteam-space, with the fan B for blowing the material into the feedhopperD, and the exh auster L for drawing cold air through thedrying-cylinder, substantially as described.

6. The combination, in a drier, of the revolving cylinder H, providedwith the supportingrollers l l m m, the rollers Z Z being mounted upon adriving-shaft and serving to drive the cylinder by friction, therebyrelieving the cylinder of all strain and unequal wear upon itsjoint-connections, with the fixed heads and the steam inlet anddischarge connections, substantially as described.

7. In a tobacco-drier, the combination of the double-shell cylinder El,fixed heads F and G, the steam-inlet pipe h h, and the water and steamdischarge pipe t" c, the exhaust-fan L, connected with thecylinder-head, the cutter A, fan B, spout O, the receiver D, thefeed-pipe E, and the discharge-openingficonstructed and operatingsubstantially as described, for thepurpose set forth.

8. In a tobacco-drier, the combination of the cylinder H, stationaryheads F G, steam-pipes h t', exhaust-fan L, and pipe K, with the cutterA, fan B, elevating-spout 0, receiver D, feedpipe E, discharge-openingf,and sieve R, constructed and operating together substantially as and forthe purpose set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 10th day of March,1881.

ANSON NEWTON PALMER.

Witnesses:

G. W. SMITH, GEO. M. BAXTER, Jr.

